100 Favorite Dishes, No. 66: Suadero Tacos at La Banqueta

To prepare for this fall's Best of Dallas® 2014 issue, we're counting down (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes. If there's a dish you think we need to try, leave it in the comments, or email me.

Remember when the La Banqueta on Carroll Avenue closed? I was pretty sad, and to cheer me up a few people tried to convince me that the suadero tacos served at the Gaston Avenue location were just as good. They weren't just as good, though. The suadero at the Gaston location was fattier, softer and didn't have that same crunchy texture that makes you wish you'd ordered five tacos instead of four. It tasted limp.

So I went months without suadero tacos, an act that cause me great discomfort and fueled my longing for salty morsels of simultaneously chewy and crunchy beef. By the time that Alberto Neri's replacement location opened up just across the street, I saw tacos on the backs of my eyelids when I lay down at night.

Much has changed with the new location. It's larger, and there are tables for seating so you don't have to eat your tacos on your feet. The suadero is a little different too, cut a bit more irregularly and into larger chunks. When you ask for yours "extra crispy" the taquero working the grill turns the crunch factor up to 12. I'd wager these tacos have improved, even.

Don't take my word for it. Go order four five tacos and try them for yourself. Douse them with lime and more of that green sauce than you need and get to stuffing your face with them. The salsa lends a fruity, aggressive burn with a lot of tang, and a suadero taco just isn't the same without it. Wash it all down with a cold Topo Chico (they're in a fridge behind the counter) and your lunch will be a happy one.